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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

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Law enforcement seeks to limit impacts of ‘waterskipping’

Marshall Helmberger
Posted 3/22/17

LAKE VERMILION— One of the most popular late winter pastimes for snow machine enthusiasts here is facing a law enforcement clampdown starting this weekend as officials from the St. Louis County …

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License to drive?

Law enforcement seeks to limit impacts of ‘waterskipping’

Posted

LAKE VERMILION— One of the most popular late winter pastimes for snow machine enthusiasts here is facing a law enforcement clampdown starting this weekend as officials from the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources try to get a handle on an activity they say is out of control.

Driving snowmobiles over open water, otherwise known as “waterskipping,” can draw dozens, sometimes hundreds, of daredevil drivers and many hundreds of spectators on any given weekend in late March and early April to the outlet of the Trout River on Lake Vermilion’s north shore. A Facebook group that highlights the action at Trout River has more than 1,200 members, attesting to the popularity of waterskipping at the site.

The river empties into a shallow bay, and slowly eats away at the lake ice, providing an increasing amount of open water to tempt riders, who travel at high speed across the ice in hopes of planing across the open water until reaching the ice on the other side. The shallowness of the bay, which is only two to three feet deep, and a hard sand bottom make it relatively easy for riders who don’t quite make it to retrieve their sleds.

Law enforcement officials say they don’t oppose the activity, but want to see the scene better managed. “From a DNR standpoint the issues we deal with are an extreme amount of litter left on the lake, underage drinking, and snowmobiles that exceed the decibel level,” said Lt. Shelly Patten, District 5 supervisor with DNR law enforcement. Waterskipping enthusiasts often modify their machines for the activity, including modifying exhausts to increase the noise level.

The noise has been a common complaint from residents on the lake, who can sometimes hear the roaring engines for miles. It has also sparked objections from anglers using Trout Lake, who complain that their trout fishing trips on the wilderness lake are being marred by the roar of the racing sleds, which can go on all day and can carry across most of Trout Lake.

“We need to give the neighbors there some relief,” said St. Louis County Sheriff Ross Litman, who noted that the waterskipping can continues for days at times, and can go on for many hours each day.

“We’re not here to quash anyone’s fun,” said Undersheriff Dave Phillips, who has tracked activity at the site for years. “Our tactic here is not” so much a shutdown as a redirection,” he said. “If someone wanted to step up and apply for a water event permit, we’re happy to work with anyone. That way, we can address some of the problems out there.”

Patten agreed. “We are encouraging the folks that want to water skip to apply for a permit from the DNR and Sheriff’s office and run the water skips as a sanctioned event, like radar runs, which allow snowmobilers to exceed the speed limit.”

Phillips said a permit can address most of the problems that come up, since it can limit the number of days and hours for the activity and require better handling of trash as well as sanitation, which is another significant issue on nicer weekends when hundreds of people will spend many hours at the site.

Officials say permits can also require legal noise levels and limit sleds to drivers only. In some cases, said Patten, up to five people will ride on a sled at a time, increasing the potential for injury.

When law enforcement officials are on the scene, the crowd generally remains well behaved, according to Tower area conservation officer Marc Hopkins. “But things can get out of hand if we’re not out there,” he said.

The test of the proposed clampdown is likely to come this weekend. The Sheriff’s Office began enforcing their prohibition on waterskipping on Monday, March 20, so this will be the first weekend with the new policy in place. “We’re unsure what will happen,” said Phillips.

Law enforcement officials say they’ll begin classifying waterskipping under careless driving statutes, such as Minn. Statute 84.87 Sub 2, which prohibits operation of a snowmobile in unsafe or harassing ways, including:

“(1) at a rate of speed greater than reasonable or proper under all the surrounding circumstances;

(2) in a careless, reckless or negligent manner so as to endanger the person or property of another or to cause injury or damage thereto.”

Law enforcement officials were out at the site last weekend, trying to spread the word about the new policy and hoping to find someone who might be willing to apply for a permit. “We were there to let them know that without permitting, this comes to an end,” said Phillips. “Most were very understanding and cooperative.”

Fans of waterskipping have offered mixed reactions to the proposal, and local legislators have questioned the rationale for the change in enforcement policy. In a March 17 letter to DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr, Reps. Jason Metsa and Rob Ecklund request an explanation of the change in enforcement policy. “Specifically, we are looking for the rationale on the timing of this decisions and what has prompted this action,” they wrote. But many have acknowledged an issue with trash and littering and are encouraging those who want to continue the sport to use common sense.

“I don’t like the idea of banning it,” said Scott Frazee, who lives on the lake and who has participated in waterskipping in the past, but hasn’t been out this spring. “I’ve always enjoyed it, but it can be somewhat harmful to the shoreline,” he acknowledged. “There’s two sides to it.”